Aftermath
by IvoryMaster
Summary: They thought they were alone; nothing but Angels, Fallen Angels, Devils, and the other mythologies, but that truth has been shattered, and now, they have to talk about what happened and endeavor to answer the piling questions.
1. Aftermath

**I do not own Highschool DxD or The Avenger Films. One-shot.**

 _Three years before the discovery of the Red Dragon Emperor (beginning of the series)…_

 _Two days after The Battle of New York…_

"Lady Leviathan and Sona Sitri, I thank you both for meeting with Rias and I during such short notice. I know your schedules are full, so I will endeavor to make this brief." Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the four devil kings, expresses with great regard as both devils enter the meeting room, filling the occupancy up of five as the two visiting personages are escorted by Grayfia Lucifuge, the queen in Sirzechs's peerage and his wife.

"It is no trouble at all, Sirzechs. As a matter of fact, I actually want to thank you because now I get to spend some time with Sona. Can you believe she never calls or visits me. When we first saw each other right in front of you castle, she didn't even say hello to me. Can you believe that? Sona, just tell me how much you miss and love your big sister." Serafall Leviathan overzealously mumbles without taking a breath her words mesh together into one long, run-on sentence.

"You are a devil king with much responsibility. You have a lot of duties to tend to and I don't want to bother you when you are working." Sona attempts to vindicate herself for her lack of communication, even if her reasoning may not be entirely true, but even if she were to explain that her sister, a devil king, smothers her with her affection that Sona finds it irritating.

"So I'll make time for my little sister. Don't you know I always have time for you, Sona. All you have to do is ask and your big sister will be right at your side." Serafall counters with a whine, grabbing onto and holding Sona's hands in hopes to convince her to call her more often, but the Sitri heiress only looks away.

"Ladies, while I do enjoy your banter as much as the next devil king, I believe we should get down to business." Sirzechs interrupts, motioning his hands in a downward motion in attempts to calm the other devil king down. As soon as Serafall stops jumping up and down while holding on to Sona, both sisters look at each other, the elder with blissful mirth oozing from her eyes, and the younger with annoyed exhaustion. Sona takes in a deep breath—a breath that she really needs-before she frees herself from her sister's clutches and walks forwards towards the table, taking a seat next to her beloved friend/rival Rias Gremory. Serafall can only express her dismay of her sister's disregard of her in a measly pout.

"Your so mean, Sona. What happened to the cute little sister who would run into my arms every time I came home?"

"I am not a child anymore! And don't go around saying such nonsense!" Sona seethes with frustration, all the while Rias silently laughing to herself. With nothing more to say, Serafall cross her arms pouting and walks—stomps—her ways towards her seat to the right of Sirzechs.

"Sona, it's been a while since we last saw each other." Rias begins after calming down from Sona's humiliation.

"It has only been two days since the beginning of our high school lives, Rias. I hardly count this as a reunion occasion."

"You never know. We don't have classes together and won't probably see each other." Rias continues.

"You may be right, but we will eventually cross paths with each other, whether in the hallways of school or in the battlegrounds of a Ratings Game." Sona interjects, a smirk coming across her face.

"I look forward to either occasion, Sona, but enough about such matters. How is Tsubaki doing?"

"Tsubaki is doing fine, as well as my other peerage members."

"How nice, Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko are doing fine themselves."

"I see, so how are your endeavors to create the Occult Research Club going? I know you only need one more person to fulfill the five-person requirement clause?" Sona inquires.

"It's coming along, but the current student council president isn't making it easy."

"Just you wait. Once I join the student council, I'll become the next Student Council President, as it should be." Sona exclaims, adjusting her spectacles as the light reflects off them.

"I'll wish you luck on such an endeavor, though I know you won't need it." The two devil heiresses continue to small talk with each other for a few more moments before Sona begins to shift the tone of her voice to better suit the current situation regarding their presence in Sirzechs' castle.

"I believe that is enough small talk for one day, Rias. Tell me, do you know why your brother called us here?"

"I don't need my brother to tell me what this impromptu meeting is going to be about, though it shouldn't take long to figure it out seeing that the entire human world, the Angels, and Fallen Angels, and us are still in shock about the series of events that have transpired." Rias exclaims, her vibrant smile slowing turning serious and solemn.

"I assume you are talking about _that_ event." Rias's silence to Sona's question is enough confirmation for Sona, to which she redirects her attention forward as Sirzechs takes his seat next to her older sister with Grayfia standing off to the side behind her master/husband. The moment Sirzechs takes is seat is the moment the entire room becomes dead silent with nothing but the sounds of a clock ticking away being audible to all the occupants of the room.

"I thank you ladies for joining me on such short notice, but there is something I wish to discuss with you. Lady Leviathan already knows this, but the devil kings will be holding a meeting tomorrow with multiple high-ranking devils to discuss the recent turn of events, and seeing that you two will not be attending, I figured I should at least clue you in in onto the nature of the meeting." A silence lingers after his explanation for everybody already knew what this impromptu meeting and the official one are going to be about.

"I assume these two meeting are in response to the recent events that have transpired in New York?" Rias voices in her thoughts.

"You catch on quick, though it should be obvious at this point. The entirety of the Underworld is at unrest due to the sudden arrival of these otherworldly invaders. Not only that, but the people desire answers as do we, but there is nothing substantial we can tell them that they don't already know."

"To be honest with you both, we really don't know what to tell them." Serafall adds in, her demeanor quickly changing from her playful to dead serious almost instantaneously." The moment Serafall finished speaking, Grayfia silently begins chanting a spell, causing multiple magic screens to appear around the room, all yielding a blank, white screen.

One by one, each screen present clips of memory acting like footage of the events that occurred in New York. Everyone in the room can only watch in silence and horror as the materialized screens only show the carnage and destruction of the city that never sleeps by the mysterious alien invaders, a reptilian-like, humanoid-shaped creatures with advance energy-based weaponry with cybernetic body parts attached to them spewing out of a portal high above the city, coincidentally right above Stark Tower. One screen shows the civilians vaporized by the invaders as they shoot their weapons into large crowds of fleeing civilians, quickly making quick work of them. Another screen depicts multiple aliens flying around in their flying, metal chariots blasting away at the streets and buildings. The next screen shows the destruction of a skyscraper as a colossal, floating, armored leviathan-like creature pierces through its mid-section, deploying alien soldiers off its side onto buildings, with civilians caught in the debris underneath and crushed. Even with the human army deployed, they were no match against the hostile invaders as they swarm the city with their advance weapons with their numbers being their most dangerous aspect.

"Once we caught word of such destruction, all of the devil kings ordered for a massive mobilization of our armies. We were ready to move at a moment's notice, but such an action will only cause more problems. Despite the fact the humans would know of our existence, I have no doubt the Fallen Angels and Angels have also come to the same conclusion of mobilization. If all three factions' armies were to confront each other at a time like this, it could perpetuate yet another war, and war is the last thing we need seeing all sides are still recuperating from the loses." This is very valid concern. All three factions are not up to their full strength due to the sheer amount of their forces loss in the last war and have since been in a status quo with still high tensions between all three sides. Skirmishes to occur on occasion, but if their armies were to meet, then it would be more than enough to instigate another war.

"Yet, war still came, and the humans were the ones who had to pay for it." Rias interjects. "Tell me Brother, if New York was lost, and the invading army continued to pillage through the surrounding area, were you just going to let them in fear of yet sparking another great war."

"If New York was lost, then we would have no choice but to send in our own armies to combat the threat and risk yet another war with the Angels and Fallen Angels. However, we were spared from such a fate all thanks to the efforts of a collective few."

Each screen then begins showing footage and images of six unique individuals who, against all odd in the eyes of the five devils in the room, successfully fended off and defeated the invading army, saving New York.

Rias turns her attention towards the man of his country sprinting straight towards the danger, throwing his seemingly indestructible shield at the invaders and engaging in close combat, and despite the odds, this man who wears his country's colors stood his ground and put down whatever invader stood in his way by sending them flying with his punches.

Sona has her attention fixed on the very-talented woman in black. Wearing a very tight, black jumpsuit, the woman engages the invaders with multiple fighting styles, weaving through her enemies in a well-displayed intricate dance. The invaders could not keep up with her fluid movements she moves around in complicated maneuvers too hard for her opponents to keep up. She even manages to hijack one of their chariots in mid-flight, yet another impressive achievement for a human.

Serafall watches the screen with the man on the rooftop, using nothing more than a bow and special arrows to take down the chariots. She finds it unbelievable the accuracy this man has with his bow and arrow, making other archers who use magic look like beginners. His skill and prowess this man possesses is so advance he doesn't need to a visual to shoot his enemies down, further separating himself from other archers Serafall knows.

Those are just the three who look normal compared to the other half of the team.

Sirzechs has his eyes on the screen depicting the giant, green monster with limitless strength and limitless rage. Nothing could stop such a juggernaut as he charges through the invaders, their weapons doing absolutely nothing to hinder his momentum, ravaging through whatever stood in his way and producing enough force stop the momentum of a leviathan. The angrier he becomes, the more powerful he becomes.

Grayfia, while maintaining her spell, looks over towards the screen with the man in the ironclad suit. The man in iron flew around at incredible speeds, using the arsenal he has integrated into his suit to shoot, vaporize, or annihilate the enemy. Shooting of energy out of his hands, launching tiny missile hidden away in various parts of his suit, even letting himself be devoured by one of the leviathans to kill it from the inside when attacking on the outside did nothing.

Another screen portrays the last member of this team; the god of thunder himself: Thor. All the devils recognized this Asgardian god and know just how powerful he is. They all knew Thor was holding back for the sake of not destroying the city. Even if he was using a fraction of his power for whatever reason, he still managed to hold his ground.

Though they may all be different, there is one irrefutable fact is established here. As far as the humans go, they are nothing short of heroes.

"I know you two have been watching the news, so I know you know what this team of individuals call themselves." Sirzechs begins as the multiple, magic screens fade away as Grayfia finishes her spell.

"The Avengers." Rias completes.

"'Earth's mightiest heroes,' is what the people are calling them." Sirzechs continues, looking over to Serafall as if signaling her to continue for him.

"A title they deserve seeing these six individuals managed to defeat Loki." She reveals.

"What?!" Both devil heiresses shout out in surprise and shock. "Are you referring to the God of Mischief from Asgard?" Sona exclaims.

"The very same."

"We don't know too much about the details, but a couple of years ago, there was some business that occurred in Asgard, and there was… a falling out, and as a result, Loki vanished only to reappear on Earth leading an alien army from who knows where." Serafall explains.

"Not only do the humans know about the existence of Asgard, but all of us-devils, angels, fallen angels, Asgardian, etc.—know about the existence of life beyond Earth." Rias couldn't help but detect a bit of disappointment in her brother's voice. "For centuries, devils, angels and fallen angels have gone to war with each other over many reasons, disagreements, and more, but control over the Earth was one of them. We thought we along with the other mythologies were the only living beings in the universe, but that way of thinking has long been shattered, leaving us with more question than answers. We may be powerful, but it does make me think just how insignificant we are compared to the life beyond our solar system." Silence is all that can be found in the meeting room as each person takes their time to sink in such a thought. All that arises from thinking is a hanging sense of melancholy permeating about the room with Rias and Sona lost in deep thought and Sirzechs and Serafall having multiple questions rising up with no way of answering them… At least, not all of them.

"Loki is currently in custody and is refusing to tell Odin anything about where he was and where he obtained such an army, so I don't think we will be hearing anything from him." Sirzechs continues. "However, there is still one person who can at least answer some of our question in regards to this matter."

"And who would that be?" Sona asks.

"Someone like me." An outside voice answers Sona, causing Rias and Sona to turn their attention towards where the voice came from, which is the door they entered from.

"I think it is about time you come in." Sirzechs replies to the voice but doesn't saying anything afterwards other than the sound of footsteps tapping on the floor, steadily increasing the noise as the person comes closer. The doorknob jiggles before the door opens, revealing an individual Rias, Sona, and Serafall have never met before. This person is an African-American, bald, and looks to be in an advance age in his life, wearing nothing but completely black boots, black pants, black shirt and a black overcast extending down to his knees with his most prominent feature being the eye patch over his left eye.

"I have to say, I never been much of a believer, but me being down in hell… well… it's a start. Makes me wonder if saying "see you in hell" actually holds some water." The African-American elderly man muses as he approaches the four devils at the table, his singular eye gazing over all the individuals, taking a brief, dedicated amount of time to observe/analyzes the current occupants with a sense of weariness and distrust, earning the African-American man a glare from the crimson-headed heiress for she detests how he sees and dismisses her quickly.

"And who is this?" Rias demands, the tone in her voice vibrating with minuscule hostility but not enough to insult the African-American for he has dealt with worse.

"And here I thought I was a guest, but it is not like I haven't dealt with prideful individuals such as yourself." His voice comes off as condescending, causing the crimson-headed heiress's eyes to glow red.

"Rias." The elder brother and devil king interjects, his voice sounding more of a derivative of how he normally speaks albeit a bit more forceful, causing the Princess of Ruin to force herself to relax, but only because her brother/devil kings wishes for it. "Please continue, but do exercise caution." The old man turns to face Rias.

"Nick Fury, Director of S.H.E.I.L.D." he answers as he takes his seat in between the devil kings and the two heiresses. "And in case any of you are wondering, it stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. I won't go into the details, but all you need to know is we are a counter-terrorist organization assigned to keep global security."

"Director Fury, I would like to extent my thanks for coming to the Underworld to talk to us in such a problematic time."

"Yeah! It means so much taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with us!" Serafall adds on.

"Let get something straight here, your highnesses. I only came to Hell to assess what exactly we—as in humans—are dealing with. Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels. Talk about fantasy becoming reality, but I guess anything is possible since Stark created his first suit, or perhaps even beyond that during Roger's time. But I do have to say, for a place that is supposed to be filled with lava and brimstone, Hell doesn't seem so bad. Makes me wonder if all the people I killed who deserved to die all have it good here."

"I can assure you that those who are considered sinner do go to Hell. We made some adjustments in Hell to look more like the human realm for those who are reborn as devils." Sirzechs clarifies.

"That's very considerate of you guys… for devils." Fury tacks on towards the end, earning the malice of Rias and Sona. "People are usually taught that angels are the good guys and devils the bad guys, so sorry for the cold shoulder, but before I am certain, this is how I am going to be." Fury explains, to which both devil kings can understand where he is coming from, but one person in particular dislikes the tone in his voice.

"Do you realize who you are talking to?" Rias asserts herself, slamming her hands on the table and arising from her seat.

"I do, but seeing that Heaven and Hell exist only means a new layer of problems; problems _I_ am going to have to deal with _if_ you guys can't play ball together nicely, and believe me when I say this, I have bigger problems to worry about than some shaking armistice that can break the moment somebody gives a nasty look." He states, his voice stern and serious mixed in with irritation, looking directly at Rias before shifted his single-viewing eye towards Sirzechs. "You brought me here, revealed your existence to me, and give me a nice train ride to your castle. I don't need my other eye to know what is going on here, so tell me, what is it that you want to know?" Seeing that Fury has directed his attention elsewhere, Rias takes her seat once more, though she loathes the fact how easily Fury disregarded her. As the Heiress of the house of Gremory, this is nothing short of an insult, but with two devil kings present, it would be unwise and childish to make a scene regarding such trifling matters, so all Rias can do is swallow her pride, sit, and listen to what the Director is going to share with them.

"Getting down to business I see, Okay. For starters, why don't you explain what exactly were those things you encountered?" the devil king Lucifer begins.

"Aliens, your highness." Fury immediately answers, though the response only awards him a blank stare from everybody and a scornful look from Rias. Fury exhales. "They're called the Chitauri, some sort of reptilian-like, machine-augmented species."

"Where did they come from?" Serafall asks.

"From space. What do you think? Contrary to what people might believe, I don't know everything, and if I did, I wouldn't be here, now would I." Serafall may have ignored his rude response, but Sona is going to remember that. her rage does eventually subside in time. "What I can tell you is that they came through the portal courtesy of the Tesseract."

"The Tesseract." Sona repeats.

"The cosmic cube. An energy source that, with some research, can provide unlimited power."

"Have you ever heard of such a thing?" Rias asks.

"Can't say that I have. Do you know where this Tesseract comes from, Director Fury?"

"If our records our correct, it came from Odin's vault and left it on Earth for unknown reasons about a thousand years ago."

"I see, I will have to ask Odin about that then." Sirzechs concludes, allowing for Serafall to ask her questions.

"What were you going to do with such a power?"

"For starters, to solve the Earth's energy crisis. I don't know how it works down here, but power is something that we desperately need, and the Tesseract provided the solution to the problem, so we started looking into it; see if we can make something of it. That is until those Asgardians leveled a small city in what could be considered a bar fight to them. Needless to say, we discovered not only were we not alone, but we are stupefying defenseless, which is why the Council shifted their views into creating weapons of mass destruction by studying the cube and taking a look at the weapons powered by the Tesseract created during World War Two by H.Y.D.R.A."

"And it is because of these tampering with a energy source you don't fully understand that brought the Chitauri to our world." Rias accuses.

"It is not like we don't have many options. We did all of this just to protect ourselves from the dangers of what lies beyond Earth… and maybe even on it as well." Fury lowly states, looking at all the potential danger each of these devils possess; all of which noticing the underlying assumption Fury is making, causing slight irritation and anger within all of them, all at varying levels. "We were successful before. We managed to revive and create a weapon similar to the Destroyer."

"The Destroyer?" Rias repeats.

"It is an Asgardian Automaton built to protect the weapons stored in Odin's vault. Devils such as yourself or Sona would have a hard time killing such a enchanted Agrarian automaton powered by the Odinforce." Sirzechs explains, looking over at Fury to allow him to continue.

"But to be honest, I never really had all of my bets on that card. Instead, I placed all of my chips on something a little more old fashioned if you catch my drift."

"The Avengers." Serafall answers.

"A group of unique individuals who can fight the battles we never could. I had somebody working under me believing in such an idea. Even up to his death, he believed in such a team. And it looks like it worked. The Asgardians, Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels, you guys, everybody saw what happened in New York and know."

"Know what?" Sona asks.

"The Avengers… they're dangerous, so if you guys ever plan on invading the surface world for whatever reason, or if the Fallen Angels beat you to it, I'd think long and hard if that's the right move." Fury issues, confident in the words he has explained to the current occupants.

"Director, you are in a room with heirs to the house of Gremory, hose of Sitri, and two devil kings. I would advise you to not threaten us in our own home." Rias sternly warns.

"Oh, it's not a threat. It's a promise. If that is all you guys wanted to talk about then I'm leaving. Have fun ruling Hell or whatever happens down here." Fury rises up from his chair and begins walking over towards the exit, not before stopping at the corridor and turning around to face the devils in the room.

"Oh and one more thing. Gremory, Sitri, I know you two live on Earth and go to Kuoh Academy, so I will be having my eye on the both of you." He states, looking intently at Rias and Sona before finally leaving.

"Grayfia, make sure Director Fury makes it back to the human realm safely."

"Yes." And with that, both Grayfia and Fury leave the room, leaving only the two heiresses and devil kings to themselves.

"He may be a human, but he is so scary." Serafall whines, rising up from her seat and quickly maneuvering towards her little sister.

"What do you have to be afraid of. You are stronger than him and a devil king." Sona argues, placing her hand on Serafall to keep her at an arms distance away. While that is happening, Rias makes her way toward Sirzechs, her expression only conveying her discontent with the entirety of the meeting.

"I don't like him very much." Rias states.

"I know."

"How much did you tell him?"

"Just enough to understand the situation we are all facing, but I get the feeling he has a lot more information he is not telling us, and I intend to educate myself about his secrets."

"Do you think he will just tell you if you ask nicely."

"I already did, and he said no. Regardless, I will make future efforts to learn more about him, but for now, Lady Leviathan and I must prepare ourselves for tomorrow's meeting."

* * *

"Wow, if this city didn't look like crap before, then it does now, but that's what you come to expect when it has been invaded by aliens, wouldn't you say?' Kuroka shares her thoughts with her allies as all of them are standing on top of an attacked skyscraper surrounded by debris of other buildings, along with a dead Chitauri Leviathan perched on the same skyscraper as them.

"I only wish I could have been here to join the fray. I could have been fun. I heard Loki was thrashed around like a Ragdoll by the Green Giant" Bikou responds.

"A God such as Loki... give me a break." Kuroka answers, not too convinced on Bikou's claim.

"Tell me Vali, would you have wanted to be here during all that chaos. It would have been a perfect time to cut loose on your powers." Bikou inquires as he relocates near the dead leviathan and begins poking it with his staff, Kuroka joining him as she picks up one of the Chitauri's energy weapons.

"None of these invaders can even begin to match my power. I want a challenge, not something to pass the time." Vali answers, looking outwards towards destroyed New York.

"If you want a challenge so bad, how about the Avengers? They are not called 'Earth's mightiest heroes' for nothing. Perhaps that jolly green giant can satisfy you for the time being. I know I would be satisfied." Kuroka chips in, her finger squeezing the trigger of the weapon, sending out an energy projectile.

"I doubt even the Avengers can keep up with me. The only person who can is the wielder of the Red Dragon Emperor's powers, and he hasn't been found yet."

"If the Red Dragon Emperor hasn't been found yet, then let me ask a different question. Somebody must have given Loki this army. Who do you think gave him an army, and also why? I doubt even Ophis knew about the existence of extraterrestrial life. None of us did until two days ago."

"Where are you going with this?"

"Nowhere in particular, but apparently, this is a big universe. Who is to say there isn't something or somebody out there who is as or more powerful than Ophis or Big Red? Perhaps some sort of Dark Lord or Mad Titan. Ophis and Big Red might be the most powerful Dragons out there, but what about The Most Powerful Being in the Universe who's power is limitless compared to them?" Kuroka goads, dropping the weapon in her hand to the floor and joining Vali on the side of the roof staring out towards New York.

"Don't talk about such nonsense. Ophis, a dragon God himself feared, and Big Red, the dragon of dragons, are the two most powerful being I know. You talk about hypotheticals, but here's one. Who is to say the most powerful being is here on Earth right now?"

"Just a though for you to pick on. Anyways, we better start moving. I can already smell people coming this way. Plus, these things stink."

"Probably because you fired that weapon." Bikou accuses.

"Maybe, or maybe not. The humans here do have a lot of cleaning up to do, and it could take weeks just to get rid of the rubble." Kuroka refutes. All three members gather around each other as a magic circle appears under their feet, quickly rising up only for them to vanish off to a different location.

* * *

Somewhere in the galaxy, far away from Earth, lies a thrown with a lone, purple figure sitting on it, his head resting on his forehands, contemplating about what the Other has stated about the humans. He sat upon his words for many hours, only for him to arise from his seat, looking outward towards the vast emptiness of space, an insidious smile slowly forming on his lips.

 _Court Death…_ he contemplates to himself.

 **What do you think? Reviews are encouraged.**


	2. Aftermath Part 2

_**There are spoils for the beginning of Avengers Infinity War, so reader discretion is advised.**_

 **After obtaining information a dire confrontation that involves the fate of trillions, news spread quickly through Master of the Mystics Arts and their allies, quickly reaching the three religious factions and their enemies.**

 _ **Underworld…**_

* * *

"I wonder what this meeting is about. It must be super important if the Devil King calls a meeting out of nowhere." Issei Hyoudou expresses silently as he enters the conference room with powerful individuals await them.

"For my brother to calls such a hasty meeting, then it means whatever is going on much be of the utmost importance." Rias Gremory response, walking past the two Devil Kings present along with the other honored guest who are at the table.

"Do you think it might have something to do with the recent events that occurred in Kyoto?"

"That is quite the possibility." Yuuto Kiba interjects. "However, wouldn't it make more sense to have the leader of the Youkai here at this meeting? I don't see her anywhere."

"You're right. Perhaps it might not have to do with any of that, so what else could be happening for your brother to call such a fast meeting while we were preparing for the Ratings game." Issei continues.

"Sona, Tsubaki, I'm surprised to see you two here?" Rias greets as Issei goes and greets Saji with Akeno Himejima joining her king.

"Likewise, Rias." Sona Sitri responses. "I heard your entire peerage was training for the upcoming Ratings game when all of you were summon here on such short notice. We, too, were called here on such short notice."

"Didn't you two have a meeting like this one years ago." Akeno comments with the two kings, both hearkening back years ago when it was just them and the two older siblings.

"You're right." Sona admits. "You don't think today's meeting might have similar connotations."

"From my perspective, it is starting to feeling like that." Rias finishes with that comment as her older brother stands up as the last honored member walks through the corridor.

"Thank you all for attending this meeting on such short notice. I would not call such a meeting if the situation isn't dire, but recent news has reached our ears that could yield catastrophic effects for not just us, but the entirety of the world and beyond." Sirzechs Lucifer immediately informs today's participants after the last important guest takes a seat, filling up all the vacant chairs around his table in a private conference room in his large estate. The visitors who have come to attend the hasty meeting are the leaders for the Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels: Sirzechs Lucifer, Serafall Leviathan, Arch-Angel Michael, and Governor-General Azazel. The other two Devil Kings could not attend this meeting for they have other important business to attend to, but two out of four is plentiful enough. However, seeing as each leader knows the nature of the meeting, the meeting is more oriented towards those who play active roles in maintaining the peace in the human realm; this meeting is more for them than it is for their leaders.

Standing off to the west side of the room are the other participants Sirzechs and the other faction leaders felt would play a crucial role in the upcoming confrontation: the entire House of Gremory, three members from the House of Sitri, Michael's ace Irina Shidou. Sirzechs' wife, Grayfia, is also attending this meeting with Rias and Sona believe she will perform similar duties like the last meeting held a few years ago.

The atmosphere is more palpable than ever before as it is easy for everybody to feel just how tense this meeting is. A red-haired beauty and heir of the house of Gremory steps forward.

"Is this meeting in response to the recent attack in Kyoto by the Hero Faction?" Rias inquires of her brother. What she is referring to is the Hero Faction's attempt to kidnap the Youkai's leader in Kyoto to summon Big Red, the dragon of dragons. The members of the house of Gremory, Irina, and Saji believe this to be the case since they participated in that battle. Issei's expression become sterner upon reflecting on those events as he watched his allies and friend fall one by one to the enemy, realizing his powerlessness to help them. However, he is reminded of the fact of his newfound power, easily rescuing him from his slight depression. Rias, on the other hand, felt this isn't the case but felt inclined to ask just to clear up the suspicions her peerage members have.

"While the events that transpired in Kyoto are worth discussing…" he pauses for a moment. "…At a more convenient time; however, this emergency meeting is in no relation to Kyoto, the Hero Faction, or the Khaos Brigade whatsoever." Sirzechs reveals.

"What?!" the individuals who participated in the battle of Kyoto gasp.

 _As I suspected…_ Rias thinks, stepping back to her original position with her peerage members. They were expecting this meeting to be as a response to the Khaos Brigade and their recent actions, but hearing that it isn't is astonishing for them because the Khaos Brigade is currently the only terrorist group that is a concern to the peace established by the three factions. Sirzechs sits himself down just as Governor-General Azazel stands to continue the meeting

"While I can't speak for everybody here, I'm going out on a limb to say what we are facing takes more priority than the recent actions of the Khaos Brigade. You could say what is coming is more dangerous than the Khaos Brigade could ever be." Azazel shares, never once cracking a grin or a smile, signifying to the occupant of the room the seriousness of the situation.

"What could be much worse than Ophis, Vali, and the rest of the Khaos Brigade trying to disrupt the peace?" Issei inquires of the leaders of the table, clearly stepping out of line as to disrupt the meeting.

"That is what this meeting is for, Red Dragon Emperor, so I suggest you and everybody else listen up, and you might learn something." Azazel responses sternly. Downcast, Issei returns to his peers and continues listening. However, as they go over mundane task, Issei feels a small tug on his left arm. Turning, he sees Asia Argento clinging onto him.

"What's wrong, Asia?" he inquires.

"Azazel-sensei and everybody else look so serious. It just… makes me worry about what is currently happening that we don't know yet." She reveals, hugging his arm tightly. He loathes to see her in a frightened state. He turns towards her, grabbing onto her shoulders.

"Don't worry, Asia. No matter what happens, I'll protect you and everybody else." Issei reaffirms her but has little effect as she grabs onto his hand.

"But Azazel-sensei revealed whatever is going on is worse than the Khaos Brigade. Could this be another situation like the one during the second crisis?" The reminder of the events during the second major crisis does not bode well with Issei. It churns his stomach as the events flash before him in an instant. If it were his choice, he would like to forget those horrible events since it put everybody in danger, especially Asia.

"I'll still protect you. I won't let you come to any harm, Asia. I powered-up in Kyoto. Remember? You can count on me." He promises, raising his fist in the air to show her his determinism, though he might be clenching it a bit too hard for the wrong reasons.

"Thank you, Issei-kun." She expresses gratefully even if she is still plagued with worry and concern about today's emergency meeting. Both devils tune back into the conversation at hand as Rias speaks out once more.

"If you don't mind my asking, but what did you mean by beyond? It is quite the interesting word to use in this situation." Rias points out for everybody in the room.

"I would have to agree with Rias." Sona Sitri interjects, stepping forward. "I am a bit intrigued as to what 'beyond' means in this context. Do you mean realms like the Underworld, Asgard, and Heaven are in danger as well as the human realm? Or… could you be referring to something different altogether?" the leaders exchanged looks with one another, endeavoring to find the best way to explain themselves to the other occupants as Rias and Sona seem to know what they mean by beyond. The elder sister of Sitri family takes directs her attention towards her younger sister.

"Technically, that's correct, Sona; however, we mean in a much grander scale." Serafall begins to explain, though her choice of words does not resonant with the active listeners. "Think of it more in an intergalactic scale."

"Intergalactic scale…" Irina repeats perplexed as with the others. "What do you mean by that?" Fed up with the clarification, the fallen angel leader speaks up.

"It means the whole universe is at stake." Azazel reveals.

"What?!" Asia, Gasper Vladi, Saji, and Rossweisse gasp in unison.

"That can't be…" Kiba lets out, compromising his standing position.

"Danger at a universal scale…. Surely that can't be so." Those words coming from Irina.

"How can that be?" Xenovia Quarta blurts out. They know the world is in danger due to the Khaos Brigade. Their latest attempt to call out Big Red is a world-threatening danger they narrowly managed to stop. Before that, Loki had attempted to initiate Ragnarok in the Underworld, but that failed as well. The people in the room are no strangers to world-ending events, but to hear the entire universe, something so large a person cannot begin to comprehend how large it is, to be in danger is unfathomable. It feels impossible, but their leaders declared it, so the only thing to do is to continue listening to understand what was declared.

However, Rias and Sona are not as phased as the rest of their companions as they hearken back to the meeting held much like this one years ago. They remember aliens exist since that meeting was about Loki's invasion, and the whole world knows it too. Looking around, it doesn't appear anyone, expect their leaders, is taking that information about alien life existing into consideration yet. The two remain silent, curious to see where this meeting leads.

"How can the whole universe be in danger?" Koneko Toujou speaks up for the first time to the council. "If it is not the Khaos Brigade, then who could it be." Sirzechs gestures towards Grayfia.

"Grayfia, if you may."

"Yes, Sirzechs." Grayfia accepts as she takes one step forward, a large magic circle appearing under her as she extends her hands outward, silently casting a spell. A large screen suspended over the council and guest materializes with Rias and Sona recognizing the spell for it is the one she cast years ago to witness events.

"As you may all know, we are not alone in this universe." Arch-Angel Michael begins with footage of the devastation in New York City years ago playing out on the screen. An invading army with advance weaponry and large flying creatures flood out of the wormhole high above Stark tower, raining down destruction and death upon the inhabitants of New York as skyscrapers fall and civilians vaporized and mutilated by the Chitauri. Some in the audience found it too gruesome to continue watching and everted their eyes while hiding behind others. Others are filled with contempt and enmity towards the guilty party responsible for the invasion as the scenes play out. Eventually, a black-haired man with a curved horned helmet and green tunic standing high above New York City on Stark Tower appears on the screen, smiling maniacally as he raises his golden staff in the air under the gateway portal, obviously leading the Chitauri army into battle.

"Loki…" Rossweisse whispers melancholically.

"Loki acquired an army of aliens known as the Chitauri and invaded the human realm a few years ago. This occurred during our ceasefire, so none of us could respond in in fear of starting another war with each other. Luckily, a group of remarkable people known as the Avengers were there." The screen is now showing the six Avengers standing in a circle as they prepare themselves for battle. The magical screen continues to play out the events as each one of the Avengers took down the invading forces, eventually achieving victory as the six Avengers stand over a defeated Loki. "And since then, they have protected the Earth of any home or otherworldly dangers, but it wasn't until the second crisis we decided to make ourselves known to Earth's mightiest heroes." Footage of the second crisis slowly fades into existence, depicting destruction and chaos running rampant in Sokovia as robots burrowing out of the ground and taking to the sky attack the inhabitants. The screen pulls back only to reveal the same attacked city is slowly being raised into the air, threatening the entire world with global extinction if it drops at an appropriate height. The one responsible soon replaces the image of the floating city as a towering, metallic, menacing robot flying above everything with a contempt expression overcoming him as his vision of peace, which he has confused with destruction, is about to become reality.

"Ultron-san…" Asia whispers, holding her left hand close to her chest as the phantom sensation of cold, hard, caring metal gliding over her hand and skin is revitalized upon the sight of her former captor, not realizing she is shaking ever-so-slightly.

"Luckily for us, the Avengers, along with the help of the House of Gremory and allies, put an end to Ultron's reign of terror. Going back to Loki, since New York, we have attempted to obtain information from Loki about how he ascertained such an army. Rossweisse, you were there in Asgard at the time of Loki's capture, would you mind explaining what transpired?" Michael request of the Valkyrie-turned-devil female.

"I can do that. From what I remember, Lord Odin had Loki imprison for his actions against the humans. He and I kept visiting him to see if he would be willing to part with us the information he knew but to no avail." Rossweisse explains. "I have not kept communication with Lord Odin since my becoming of a devil, so I don't know what the current situation is with Loki. He should still be imprisoned for his attempts of causing Ragnarok." The leaders exchanged looks with each other, worried for Rossweisse for it would appear she doesn't know yet.

"Rossweisse," Sirzechs begins. "Do you not know what has occurred in Asgard?"

"No. Why? Has something happened?"

"I had hope you would at least know by now, but it cannot be helped." He takes in a deep breath. "As of right now, Asgard has been destroyed."

"W-what…" Rossweisse trails off.

"We have only ourselves just found out, but it would appear Ragnarok has come to pass. We don't know too many details, but it would appear Ragnarok was initiated by a fire demon named Surtur."

"Surtur…" she repeats. "I know of him. Legend has it he would be the one to start Ragnarok and destroy Asgard, so Lord Odin defeated him, taking the Eternal Flame as a trophy so it would never reunite with Surtur's crown. That was millenniums ago. He was long thought to be dead, but I guess they are called prophecies for a reason. I have had nightmares of Asgard in flames before but thought nothing of it." She explained, endeavoring to hold back tears. "What has happened to Lord Odin and the Asgardians?"

"We will get to the fate of the Asgardians later, but as for Lord Odin. We are unsure." Sirzechs answers. "I realize this must be struggle for you. If you wish so, then you may leave to recuperate and let what has been revealed sink in, but we must carry on this meeting" The Valkyrie wipes away her tears.

"I'm… alright. Please continue." She reveals as the members of the house of Gremory surround the rook in attempts to comfort her.

"Returning to the issues at hand, new information has come to light." He gestures to Grayfia again as images of New York occupy the magical screen once more.

"What is that?" Xenovia points at the large, ring-shaped, metal flying object hovering over the metropolis as it sucks debris, cars, buildings, and people on one side, only to spit them out on the other side.

"It's destroying the city!" Koneko points out.

"This is New York one hour ago." Serafall states.

"More otherworldly visitors…" Sona comments as the screen moves closer towards and below the spaceship. Underneath the spaceship is chaos. Cars, chucks of building and pavement, and people fall out of the sky as those on the ground endeavor to evade the falling debris and people while running away, hoping not for themselves to be sucked up by the spaceship. The mechanism sucking up the city stops, revealing an evacuated street save for four individuals. Out of the four, only one of them is recognized by all.

"Tony Stark." Kiba states, not surprised to see Ironman already on the scene since he lives in New York. A blue beam then projects down on a specific spot a few feet away from the Avenger, materializing two individuals. One is a giant compared to his ally who only stands about half his height. This Giant boasted impressive strength as he lugged around a heavy hammer-looking weapon while wearing black metal armor coving his chest and legs. While the giant ogre-looking creature looks formidable, his smaller, slimmer companion doesn't bode well with the occupants in the room. Unlike the giant, this wrinkly, gray-skinned, white-haired, individual carried no visible weapon identifiable and is only wearing black and gold tunic. Just by looking at him, Kiba stomach twist into knots in disgust for his instincts scream the slim, gray individual wears wardrobe specific to priest or clerics, if there can such a thing called space clerics or priest.

" _Hear me and rejoice..."_ the priest-looking individual begins. _"You are about to die at the hands of the children of Thanos. Be thankful that your meaningless lives are now contributed to the balance…."_ That is all he speaks as his sermon is cut short by the playboy billionaire. However, even if he is cut off short, his small sermon is confirmation enough for those affiliated with the church the slim individual is a preacher of sort, earning him daggered glares and enmity from the two knights of the house of Gremory and Michael's ace.

"That guy sounds like a douche." Issei comments.

"That is something I can agree with you, Issei." Kiba replies.

"As with I." Xenovia joins.

"Same here." Irina agrees.

"Other than that guy being a deplorable person, he and his friend consider themselves children of Thanos. Who is this Thanos character anyway?" Rias questions the council.

"That bring us to are second item on the agenda." Her brother responds as he unearths a glowing orb from beneath the desk, standing up from his seat, and walking himself towards his wife. "This is a memory orb. It allows for one to extract memories from a person and store them in here to let others see what the person see. We don't use these often, but considering this involves the fate of the universe, we cannot spare any restraint." Sirzechs gives the orb over to Grayfia and walks himself back to his seat. He holds onto it with both her hands, casting a spell as she focuses her magic into it materializing a viewing screen. "After the skirmish in New York, I sent someone over to grab the memories of Bruce Banner, also known as the Hulk, so we can see what he witnessed."

The screen slowly brightens, revealing the interior of a ravaged ship. Fire scattered about and metal pulls and wires lying on the ground and handing from the ceiling. The dark atmosphere is heavy with bodies piled up on the ground with some of them still moving in pain before their release of life. One person is endeavoring to escape, but a spear is impaled through her, swiftly ending her life.

"It can't be…" Rossweisse utters.

"The Asgardians…" Akeno finishes, everyone horrified by the dead bodies of civilian Asgardians scattered about the floor.

" _Hear me and rejoice!"_

"It's that guy again." Kiba growls.

" _You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Titan. You may think this is suffering. No… it is salvation."_ Asia grips onto Issei as she doesn't like what the person is saying. Irina and Xenovia blood boils hot with each passing word of the priest-like character speaking. _"The universal scales tip toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile… for even in death, you have become children of Thanos."_ The screen slowly moving upon a lone, standing Asgardian surrounded by four individuals.

"Loki!" Rossweisse moves closer to the screen, anxious to know what happens next. The screen then frantically moves over towards a dark, tall silhouette standing over the dead bodies, bending down and grapping a survivor with his right hand .

" _I know what it's like to lose."_ The silhouetted figure begins. _"To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail nonetheless. As lightning turns the legs to jelly. I ask you, to what end?"_ He slowly moves closer to Loki but still masked away by the shadows cast over him, and judging by the stoic expression on Loki, this is a person not to be trifled with if his presence alone is enough to intimidate a god. _"Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say…"_ He moves out of the shadows, revealing the imposing, purple individual cladded in a golden armor, raising his clenched left hand in the air before Loki with his right-hand gripping a defeated Thor, the god of lighting and another Avenger. However, what draws the most attention from the viewers is the purple-glowing gem located on his golden gauntlet. " _I am."_

"It can't be…"

"Is that…"

"An Infinity Stone…?" Rias trails off, mesmerized by the golden-armored, purple individual in possession of one of the most powerful artifact in existence. They continue to watch, withstanding through the torture of the Asgardian god before Loki caves and materializes a glowing, neon-blue cube in his hand.

"The Tesseract." Sona states as she lays eyes on the object that initiated the first Battle of New York. The alien priest character takes the Tesseract from Loki's hand and slowly approaches his father.

" _My humble personage bows before your grandeur."_ He kneels before the Mad Titan as he slowly removes his golden armor. The space clerics action alone speaks enough for the devils and angle to know what the Children of Thanos think about him in the same manner one would treat a noble or a god. _"No other being has ever the might, nay the nobility, to wield, not one, but two Infinity Stones. The universe lies within your grasp."_ The purple figure takes the Tesseract into the palm of his hand. He slowly starts to crush the cosmic cube before exploding in the palm of his hand. Opening his hand up reveals the shattered remains of the Tesseract's holder with the Space Stone lying in the middle. Satisfied, he picks up the artifact and slowly migrates it over his gauntlet, inching it nearer until the Space Stone magnetizes its way into a slot. He lets out a scream as the power of two stones surges throughout his body. Eventually, he relaxes, standing before the Asgardian God of Mischief. The screen shifts violently as the Hulk, who they are seeing the memories through, attacks the wielder of two Infinity Stones. He attacks and attacks, but is swiftly overpowered by the purple figure. The screen stops playing the memories of the Hulk, leaving the image of the Purple figure standing over a defeated Hulk and Loki with his gauntlet in full display.

"It's safe to say this is our Thanos." Azazel speaks up, standing up and pacing around the room with everyone's eyes fixated on Thanos. "And boy, he has a shocking track record. For one, he is the one who supplied Loki with his army years ago."

"This guy?" Issei questions.

"Yes, but other than having a spare army to lease, he is also a conqueror, going around the galaxy and invading worlds, taking what he wants and when he wants. In the words of Dr. Banner, he is a disease. However, what sets him apart from other conquerors is a significant attribute of his. Once he is finished taking over a planet, he wipes out half the population."

"What possible reason could there be to killing half a population! It's so cruel!" Asia spouts out, horrified to learn of the atrocities Thanos commits.

"Men, women, and children. It doesn't matter. As long as half is killed, then Thanos is satisfied and move on to the next world, and judging from that alien preacher, it sounds like an honor to die for Thanos's goal."

"An honor my ass! I am so going to punch that dirt bag's in and make him pay for all the lives he's took." Issei comments as he holds a fist up to his face.

"Before you do, I still need to tell you guys why he is coming to Earth, but at this point, you can probably guess what he wants." Azazel finishes as she intently stares at Thanos's Infinity Gauntlet.

"He's after the Infinity Stones." Rias completes.

"As of right now, Thanos is in possession of the Power Stone and Space Stone. This fact alone already places him more powerful than the people in this room or perhaps in the universe." Michael reveals, surprising the listeners. "But if he ascertains all six Infinity Stones, the amount of life he can extinguish will be incomprehensible.

"In short, Thanos is seeking the Infinity Stones, and it just so happens there are two stones on Earth." Sirzechs explains.

"If that is true…" Asia speaks out as she moves forward so she can be seen. "Doesn't Vision-san have one."

"You are correct, Asia. The Vision is in possession of the Mind Stone, and the Masters of the Mystic Arts has the Time Stone, but it would seem Dr. Strange has been taken off world, leaving only the Mind Stone on Earth. Until then, I want the House of Gremory and Sitri to protect The Vision and the Mind Stone at any cost. It is only a matter of time before Thanos's forces make their next move, and it will surely focus on the Mind Stone. If they get their hands on the stone, we risk the safety of the universe." Sirzechs explains.

"Irina, I want you to go with the Red Dragon Emperor and his friends and help them in their assignment. They can use all the manpower they can get."

"Yes, Lord Michael." Irina acquiesces.

"What will you all be doing then?" Sona asks.

"We will be on standby. When Thanos decides to show himself, we will intercept and engage him in battle. He already has two stones on him, already making him more powerful than all of you combined, and knowing there are two other stones off Earth, there is a possibility he will arrive here with more than two stones." Azazel explains.

"If there is nothing else to talk about, then all of you should go." Sirzechs leaves with that as everyone leaves the conference room except of the honored guest.

* * *

"Issei-kun."

"What is it, Asia."

"Please, we have to protect Vision-san. He helped me a long time ago, and I want to help him now because… like you, I consider him a friend."

"Don't worry, Asia. I'll make sure this Thanos creep doesn't lay a finger on him."

 _Vision-san, you helped me during that time and made me realize I also had another friend. I know it was hard for you to do what you did, but I understand and wished I could have done more to alleviate his pain. But now, you are in danger, so I will do whatever I can to help you._

* * *

"Where are you going, Vali?" Kuroka inquires of the White Dragon Emperor as he ventures off into the forest.

"You and I have heard enough, so it should be obvious where I'm going." He replies, not bothering to face her.

"You're going to wait for him. Do you even know where he's going?"

"Simple. He's after the Infinity Stones, so I'll go and retrieve one. The Time Stone is long gone from the planet, so that leaves the Mind Stone."

"Wanting to make yourself a bigger target for this Mad Titan. You do realize he has lackeys he c an just send in his stead."

"Don't make me laugh. What can they possible do to me? No, if Thanos wants an Infinity Stone, then he'll have to fight me for it."

"He's really got your interest peak, doesn't he? Perhaps even more than the Red Dragon Emperor."

"A being more powerful than Ophis and Big Red. That is something I cannot pass up."

"What makes you think he's more powerful than me?" The Dragon God of Infinity appears form the shadows of the forest, giving off the impressing she was eavesdropping.

"He already has two Infinity Stones, and from what we have learned recently, these Infinity Stones are no joke. I want to be the strongest, and taking down the most powerful being in the universe will solidify my goal." He answers. "You also didn't have information about the existence of the Infinity Stones until Ultron's uprising." She remains silent, either not having a response or choosing not to respond.

"If you are going after the Infinity stone, you will clash with the Avengers and the Red Dragon Emperor. I doubt they will hand it over to you." Ophis mentions.

"It doesn't matter. All that does is making Thanos come for himself, and I'll crush anybody who stands in my way." With that declaration, Vali sprouts his wings and flies away to fulfill his goal, leaving Kuroka and Ophis behind.

"What will you be doing in regards to Thanos?" Kuroka inquires.

"If it comes to it, I might have to get involved." Ophis answers, turning around and walking in the opposite direction Vali went.

* * *

 _Rias Gremory, fun isn't something one considers when balancing the universe, but this… does put a smile on my face._

 _Issei Hyoudou… I hope they remember you._


	3. A Devil's Endgame--Prelude

**Wakanda…**

Raising his large fist above his head, the Mad Titan swings downward, striking Steve Rogers directly in the head as Thanos drives him straight into the ground, no energy left to continue the one-sided fight. Even after single-handedly engaging each Avenger, Thanos remains unscathed, standing victorious over Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but now is not the time to celebrate for he still needs to fulfill his destiny for the Mind Stone awaits him, and the only ones left standing are Wanda and Rias Gremory's peerage.

Thanos knows the devils' leader and her subordinate are left stranded on Titan after their defeat; the voluptuous, crimson-haired Rias Gremory and her Pawn, Issei Hyoudou. Thanos can still feel the large metal shard when he drove it straight into the Red Dragon Emperor and pinning him straight into a rock with his dragon armor shattered. Despite undergoing his balance breaker and unleashing all the strength he can muster upon Thanos also driving a metal blade through Rias, Issei still lost, even with the support from Iron Man and the rest. It was right when Issei and Rias lost Iron Man took over for the rest of the events to unfold. Rias Gremory may have posed no challenge towards the Mad Titan, but the impression she left is something he will soon not forget. Despite never mentioning them, he knows this must be the rest of Rias's peerage—the clues are not hard to miss since most of them are wearing similar uniforms Rias and Issei were wearing. Regardless, Thanos continues his approach towards Vision. The Avengers could not stop him, and neither will some adolescence, devilish individuals.

* * *

Akeno, wearing her shrine-maiden wardrobe, breathes heavily as drops of sweat drip down her cheek and onto the floor. While the sweat can be attributed towards the current ongoing fight with those alien beasts, her sweat is now characterized more by anxiety than anything else. It falls on her to lead the rest of her friends into battle since Rias is off world. Akeno has proven herself countless times she can be a capable leader, but Akeno still has not realized her hands trembling as she hesitates what to do next after she and her friends witnessed.

Each Avenger Akeno and company have come to recognize are all lying on the ground unconscious after each one was effortlessly dispatched by the lone enemy slowly approaching them as he wields the single-most powerful weapon in existence. They all can see the five Infinity Stones attached to it, and that alone is enough to instill trepidation in all of them. Akeno and company know just how powerful the Avengers; they know the Avengers have saved the world more than once, but they were powerless to stop the Mad Titan known as Thanos, who is slowly approaching them since they are the only ones standing between him and the Mind Stone. They all know Thanos must never obtain the last Infinity Stone or face a catastrophe the universe has never seen before. Sirzechs has made is clear to stop Thanos at any cost, even if it means their deaths—their deaths pale in comparison to having half of all life suddenly perish. It is now Akeno realizes her hand is shaking as she looks down. She tries to get it under control, but they won't stop shaking. Seeing the futility of her current action, she looks around the battlefield. Kiba, Xenovia, Koneko, Rossweisse, Gasper, Asia, and Irina's eyes have all fallen on her for they await her orders. She knows very well what is going to happen, and she much rather see that happen to her than for her friends to go through such a thing. But, they all have a mission, and all they need to do at this point is buy time.

"Everyone! Stop Thanos at all cost!" she declares, looking furiously at the Mad Titan. Not a word is said for they all understand what she had done.

Kiba lets out his breath, relieving all stress and tiredness he accumulated throughout the day. He materializes his holy-devil sword and stabs it into the ground. Multiple swords spike upward right in front of the Mad Titan, jabbing and stabbing Thanos in the chest and legs; however, the swords shatter upon contact as the Power Stone glows brightly. Picking his sword up, Kiba uses his speed to close the distance. Nobody could keep track of him for he is moving the fastest he has ever gone before—dire situations call for unprecedented strength. One moment, he is standing a distance away. The next, he is right in front of Thanos, this unprecedented speed would have been impressive if everyone was not in disbelief of what they are witnessing. Instead of his blade slashing through the Mad Titan, the blade is being gripped by the golden gauntlet. There is no alternative action; all he can do is stare at the Mad Titan right in the eyes, still processing what he accomplished as he is at his mercy. The Power Stone glows brightly, and Kiba's holy-devil sword shatters into a million pieces. Kiba immediately drops to his knees and coughs out blood as a large fist hits him in the gut. Thanos finishes it with a right hook to the cheek, pummeling him to the ground and pushing him aside, leaving him unconscious on the floor as Thanos continues his approach.

With her grip around Ascolon tightens as her blood boils upon witnessing Kiba's defeat, Xenovia charges forward at blitz neck speeds. Unfazed as the raging Xenovia charges at him, the Space Stone and Reality Stone glow brightly. Using all her might, she swings Ascolon towards Thanos. Much to her surprise, Ascolon passes through Thanos like a ghost, but her momentum carries forwards, passing through Thanos. As soon as Xenovia passes through, a red wave pulses outwards from Thanos, hitting her and slowly turning her into stone. Asia could not help but let out a gasp upon seeing her friend sudden transformation, shedding a tear for her.

A glowing, white spear of light hits Thanos in the chest, but does no damage as it shatters. More spears of light continue to be hurled by Irina with little success. Realizing the futility, the angel materializes one more spear of lights and closes the distance between her and Thanos—this time aiming for his head. She thrust forward when she was within distance, However, the tip of the spear collides with the palm of the Infinity Gauntlet, creating a violent reaction of light as Irina continues to push the spear into the gauntlet. Finally, Thanos closes his hand, causing a large explosion at point blank range for both the angel and the Mad Titan. The smoke clears, and Irina's eyes widen as she stares into the Mad Titan, who is within his range. His attack is swift and powerful, hitting her right in the cheek, sending her flying a few feet before she lands and tumbles.

Thanos's approach continues unimpeded, until he feels himself slowing down. He looks around, and everything around him is moving regularly. The Time and Reality Stone glow as he struggles to close his hand into a fist. Thanos starts to regularly once more as multiple bats start conglomerating right in front of him. The bats form into a human shape, and eventually, Gasper materializes. Wasting no time, Thanos grabs the vampire by the neck using his gauntlet hand, slowly applying pressure to his neck as he gasps for air. Having no intention on killing the young vampire, Thanos throws him aside like a wet paper towel into a large tree. He gasps for air as the impact against the aged wood knocks the wind out of him. he lands face down on the ground, wheezing for air.

Blue fire balls slam into the Mad Titan's chest but does nothing to impede his approach as those two attacks are nothing more than small inconveniences to him. More fire balls hit him, but it does nothing to damage him thanks to the Power Stone. Since nekomata magic is doing nothing for her, Koneko decides to rely on her strength as the rook. She jumps high into the air, performing multiple summersaults, and swiftly navigates herself down, extending her left foot out. Her back heel connects with the Uru metal. Upon Thanos blocking, Koneko recovers quickly, getting low to the ground, and thrusting her fist straight into him. Much to her horror, she does not land a hit on him as she stares intently on the massive golden gauntlet clutching around her arm. She looks up at Thanos, and sees a blank expression as a horrid, harsh snap echoes between the two of them and out. It almost a disgusting sound when the ulna and radius break snap so violently for it is almost enough to make someone vomit. Koneko's screams of pain reverberate throughout the area, letting everybody who is still standing hear as she drops to her knees, enduring the pain. She looks up one more time before Thanos's fist connects with her heads, pushing her aside to the right as she lies face down on the floor, incapacitated by the extreme pain.

Rossweisse, wearing her Valkyrie armor, spreads her arms out as a multiple of magic circles materialize around her. Beams of heavily-concentrated Valkyrie magic shoot out from each magic circle. The onslaught continues for what seems to be for a long time. Once the dust settles, Rossweisse witnesses something truly startling. All those concentrated magic beams have all been condensed into a small sphere right in front of Thanos, whose left hand is closed into a fist as the Space Stone shines. She immediately raises multiple magic shields as the sphere of concentrated magic energy is hurled at her. The sphere smashes through the first two, but halts at the third and final magic shield as Rossweisse frantically injects a lot of her magic into reinforcing the shield.

*Boom*

Out of the smoke screen, Rossweisse shoots out, landing on the ground and uplifting the dirt, too exhausted to get up as she input the last of her magic into her last shield. If she did not do that, then she would have been dead.

Lightning begins to sizzle near Akeno to match her ever-increasing rage. Watching her friends fall one-by-one by an unstoppable force is difficult to watch especially since she is the one who ordered them to engage the Mad Titan. Yes, she does feel melancholy, but only for a moment for all that sadness instantly transforms into rage. Hands clenched into a fist, teeth gnashing, and tears of anger slowly going to her cheeks, Akeno will avenge her friends. With a swift arm motion, snakes of lightning shoot out, slamming to Thanos and the ground around him, turning it asunder. But the Power Stone glows ever brightly as Thanos continues his approach towards her. Dark, gray cloud formulate high above Thanos, and with a swift arm motion going downward, giant thunderbolts strike Thanos from the heavens.

The thunderbolts and snakes of lightning continue their fruitless assault as Thanos shows no sign of slowing down. Irritated with her attacks, He raises his left hand in front of him with the Reality, Space, and Power stone shining. He closes his hand into a fist, a tri-colorful wave of energy disperses out. Without warning, Akeno's lightning attacks cease. Frantic, she attempts to conduct electricity, but to no avail. Suddenly, Akeno feels a great, mystic force tug on her. She does resist but cannot overpower this mysterious force that is dragging her. Akeno feels the cold, smooth texture of the Uru metal quickly wrap around her neck, feet hanging off the ground, struggling to breath.

"You'll never… get the… Mind Stone…. You monster." She wheezes out as she glares directly at Thanos. Unfazed, he takes in a long deep breath. Then exhales, taking the same amount of time.

"It's my destiny, child." he plunges his fist into her gut… twice. Upon the second impact, Akeno hears something hard breaking around her lower ribs—two to be precise. Releasing his grip around her neck, she lands on her hand and knees, coughing out blood as he stands over her. Before he can move past her, she places one foot on the ground. With her hands on her knees, Akeno pushes hard to pick herself up, despite being in no condition to fight back. If Rias's peerage is one thing, they are stubborn. One both feet, knees wobbling, and blood coming from her mouth, she looks up at, but is swiftly met with a large fist, pummeling her straight into the ground and drive her head into the dirt.

With that, the neutralization of the Gremory household is complete.

Almost complete.

Standing between the Mad Titan wielding the near complete Infinity Gauntlet and Wanda, Vision, and the Mind Stone is a 16-year-old, blonde, teenage girl, who only stands a fraction of the height of Thanos. Having no offensive capabilities of her own and only specializing in healing, all she can do is stand directly in his path, arms and legs subtly shaking. Her breathing is intense and erratic, but endeavors to control it.

Thanos knows the child before him is not a fighter. She may not have realized it due to her concentration on him or her trepidation, but Thanos can see the urine dripping down her legs. A mere flick of his finger could easily kill her, but she still intends to stand in between him and his destiny. As he draws closer, the girl reinforces her stances, arms spread out, preventing them from shaking uncontrollably. It futile, but that is all she can do, and she is willing to give her life just to stop him for a micro. It is not long before all she can see is the waist of the Mad Titan 1 meter away. Defiantly, she never looks up to him, but he does look down at her. Using both his hands, he gingerly places them on her arms and lower them with the utmost care. She is still not looking at him, but she does not resist him either.

"Its okay, my child." He whispers in an understanding tone. "I applaud your courage, but you do realize the futility?" Her breathing is still erratic, but she remains defiant. "What's your name?" Thanos inquires. A long moment of uncontrolled breathing and sniffles passes.

"…Asia…."

"Asia…. You remind me of someone I met so long ago…. And mourn for." Thanos shares, walking past her. Having no more strength, Asia's legs give out, falling onto her knees, and quietly sobs to herself. The threat has passed her, but the end is near.


End file.
